


Walk the Line

by MathIsMagic



Series: DoS Recursive Fic [3]
Category: Dreaming of Sunshine, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Asexual Character, Creepy Behavior, Dark, Dreaming of Sunshine - Freeform, Gen, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Obsessive Behavior, One-Sided Relationship, One-Sided Soulbond, Platonic Soulmates, Possessive Behavior, Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine Universe, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Stalking, Unhealthy Relationships, stalker behavior
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-10 08:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7837360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MathIsMagic/pseuds/MathIsMagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Obito dreams about finding his soulmate.</p><p>No. Not just dreams. That makes it sounds like he only thinks about them at night. He imagines them far more than that. He dreams, day dreams, and wonders just what kind of person his soul mate is. </p><p>The name on his wrist promises that he is special. That there is some one out there that the universe has decided will make him better.</p><p>Obito wants that.</p><p>And when he finds it, he will do whatever it takes to keep it. No matter how she feels about the subject.</p><p>(Recursive fic of Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dreaming of Sunshine](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/53648) by Silver Queen. 
  * Inspired by [Dreaming of Sunshine](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/53648) by Silver Queen. 



> This was originally posted as a snippet on the Dreaming of Sunshine Recursive Fic Forum here:
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/180237/137948546/153/#149512195
> 
> People's enthusiasm for soulmark fics spawned the Soulmark Discussion and Fic Thread. To keep this from taking over that, I will continue posting here.
> 
> Prepare yourself for the dark, solemn, crack soulmate fic no one asked for. Please, join me in the trash.

_You've got a way to keep me on your side_  
_You give me cause for love that I can't hide_  
_For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide_  
_Because you're mine, I walk the line_

_I keep a close watch on this heart of mine_  
_I keep my eyes wide open all the time_  
_I keep the ends out for the tie that binds_  
_Because you're mine, I walk the line_

-Halsey's cover of  _Walk the Line_

Obito dreams about finding his soulmate.

 

No. Not just dreams. That makes it sounds like he only thinks about them at night. He imagines them far more than that. He dreams, day dreams, and wonders just what kind of person his soul mate is. Obito is an orphaned misfit in a clan that looks right past him. He the weak link on a team of geniuses. He’s nothing but a screw up, but the name on his wrist promises that he can be much more. He is special. There is some one out there that the universe has decided will make him better.

 

That’s what soulmates are; the best people for each other in the entire universe.

 

Obito’s parents were soulmates. So are Sensei and his fiancée Kushina. Obito doesn’t remember much about his parents, but he does remember how in love they were. How they moved and thought like two halves of a whole. How they balanced and supported each other. How they fit together so perfectly… Sensei and Kushina are like that too; better together than apart.

 

Obito wants that.

 

Not all soulmates are romantic, of course. Obito’s Auntie Mikoto is platonic soulmates with her brother. His sweet little cousins, Shisui and Itachi are too young to know yet, but Obito would put money that the golden son of Stone-Cold Fugaku will never have something as frivolous as a romantic partner. Likewise with Kakashi – Obito refuses to believe the ‘Maito Gai’ he once glimpsed on his teammate’s wrist is awful enough to deserve The Bastard as a husband.

 

Of course, Konoha’s most famous soulmates were – officially – platonic like that. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were born with enemy names on their wrists, and a shared dream in their hearts. That’s how Konoha came in to being, and why Konoha shinobi are encouraged to find their soulmates, not ignore them, like some other villages enforce.

 

Of course, Konoha’s history books usually gloss over the bit where Madara turns on Hashirama, and the soulmate pair fights to the death. Obito likewise tries not to think of it. How could someone do that to their most precious person? It’s unfathomable.

 

Obito knows that he will treasure his soulmate, when they’re born. (They can’t have been born yet, he decides, since their name isn’t in the current census, and they’re not on a list of dead that spans back to long before Obito’s birth – Sensei helped him check.) He will never turn on them; will protect them with everything he has. He might be weak now, but that will change. He’ll be strong enough, once he meets them. Soulmates are supposed to make you better, after all, and what more does Obito need than to be strong?

 

In the mean time, though, Obito’s working to be strong in his own way. He has other precious people to protect, like Sensei, Rin, and even The Bastard. Kakashi may have just gotten promoted to jounin, but Obito’s not in bad shape, either. When they get back from their sabotage mission at the Kannabi bridge, he’ll get back to work, and finally best the stoic boy. Wouldn’t that make his soulmate proud? Obito rubs his left wrist and prays, as they head out.

 

_Wish me luck, Shikako Nara. I’ll make you proud._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original AN from the forum:
> 
> Okay, hear me out. I started mixing my favorite guilty pleasure tropes (soulmates, people being uber protective of each other, ‘fixing’ broken evil people) and crack prompts in my head the other day in class, and this little idea took root: Soulmates are the best person for you in the world (platonically or romantically). Shikako has, arguably, positively impacted a lot of people, and therefore might qualify as this for lots of people, but for the sake of keeping this from being a weird platonic harem story, I’m going to say only one person has her name on his wrist; the person she can potentially make the greatest positive change in. Obito. 
> 
> Now, the reason I don’t consider this shipping is because, if it wasn’t clear from the emphasis, Obito has a one-sided platonic soulmate bond with her. I view Shikako as Ace, and maybe Aro, and I don’t want to start a ship war for something I don’t feel that strongly about. (Also, because otherwise; ew. She would have to get a LOT older when they meet in this scenario for that not to be skeevy otherwise.) 
> 
> Also, I think Shikako has a blank wrist. Both because I don’t think Obito is really good for her, and because I think, since her soul came from our world, it would be fundamentally missing the magic that makes a soulmate’s name appear. Bring on the angst of a one-sided soulmate bod. Yas.
> 
> Anyways, I hope people are interested. I have more thoughts on this, but the muse is being stubborn.


	2. Chapter 1

As Obito lies dying, half-crushed under the rubble of the collapsed cave, his mind fixates on an inappropriate thought.

 

_I wish the rock had crushed my left side, instead, so I could look at her name as I die._

There’s so much more to regret in his short life – never meeting Shikako chief among them – but that’s the only one his mind provides. He would laugh, if he physically could. How typical of the world; even in death he is not allowed this one small wish. Instead, he gives his eye to Kakashi and lays waiting for death without any sight at all. If he can’t see her name, why would he even need it? Better it go to Kakashi, to help keep his promise to protect Rin.

 

 _Kakashi knows that extends to Shikako too, right?_ Obito wonders desperately, as the thought occurs to him. He _has_ to know that she should be protected when the time comes. Because Obito won’t be able to. Kakashi owes him that, at least.

 

He hopes they tell Shikako she was loved. That he died a hero. That he had to save his teammates, but that it in no way means he loved her less. Obito trusts that they will tell her, that they will take care of her. He hopes she will forgive him – believes she will, because certainly no soulmate of his would rather him let his precious people die?

 

Obito curses fate, that it dared put her name on his arm knowing that they would never meet. It had to know he would be dead before she’s even born! Now, she will never have the chance to so much as wonder about their meeting, fated as she is to live knowing a dead man’s name is branded into her skin.

 

His last thoughts are to wish her free of that burden.

 

Except they’re not his last thoughts at all.

 

The new body Madara construct for him distorts her name, unless he purposefully pulls ruined flesh taut. He knows what it says, though. Knows it by heart, by soul. Shikako Nara is still a part of him, and he’s not going to waste this second chance.

 

He doesn’t advertise those thoughts, though. Not here, in front of the ancestor who tried to kill his own soulmate for power – though who was obviously spared by said soulmate’s mercy.

 

No. Instead, Obito hardens his heart. He wraps his arms up, buries Shikako safely in the back of his mind, and lets Madara play on his love for Kakashi and Rin instead. Like everything else, it ends horribly. Obito arrives in time to see the light leave Rin’s eyes, even as power surges through Kakashi.

 

Obito screams.

 

The woman he loves is dead. His best friend has betrayed him. His soulmate is nowhere to be found.

 

Zetsu brings him back to Madara in the cave, and Obito doesn’t fight.

 

“This plan of yours. What would you need me to do?”

 

XxXxX

 

Obito will never admit that it is not a coincidence that the Kyuubi comes down on the opposite side of Konoha from the Nara compound.

 

XxXxX

 

It is thirteen years – half of his life – before Obito lets himself think of her again.

 

He’s sitting in the background as Pein organizes a (holographic) meeting of the Akatsuki. Mostly, Obito focuses on making it look like his ‘Madara’ persona is actually paying attention as they drone on about jinchuuriki movements, Village developments, and other such inanities. They’re discussing the recent Grass Chunin Exams, where the Ichibi competed, when she comes up.

 

“Better get a move on it, Deidara,” Kisame growls, voice distorted by the holographic jutsu. “Sounds like this Shikako Nara girl is closer to taking down the Ichibi than you are.”

 

Obito’s head snaps up. _It can’t be._

 

“The Ichibi will be ours in due time,” Pein reprimands, “The important thing now is the girl’s growing power. As the Kyuubi’s teammate, Shikako Nara is going to become a hindrance if her power keep growing at the rate it has been.”

 

_It is. It’s her._

They start to make plans for Itachi to poke his nose around Konoha again when Obito signals to Pein. _I’ll take care of this one._

Yahiko’s face remains impassive. Konan arches a brow at his unusual behavior. He ignores them, already heading out. He trusts that Pein will belay his previous orders without his explicit oversight, and doesn’t bother to double check. There’s nothing about this meeting that’s more important than Shikako.

 

He drives a relentless pace south, but hardly feels it, busy as he is sorting through his reawakened emotions. Shikako’s alive. Great, _wonderful._ She’s strong enough to draw the Akatsuki’s explicit attention. Good, and bad. She’s alive and made it to _chunin_ and he had no idea. Terrible, horrible.

 

All this time lost, wasted. How old is she? Younger than fourteen, surly, but it can’t be by much. He’s missed so much.

 

What does she know about him? What would the The Traitor tell her? Or would he bother to tell her anything at all? Does she only know that she has the name of a dead man (either from the rocks, if she looked him up, or the massacre) tattooed into her skin? Oh, his poor Shikako. Barely out of childhood, and carrying such a burden.

 

By the time he approaches the outskirts of Konoha, he has ordered his thoughts enough to come up with a plan. He won’t go in jutsu ablazing. That’s just asking to catch her in the crossfire. No. Reconnaissance first.

 

The Anbu guarding the Hokage’s records are laughably easy to bypass (though, not kill. No need to raise an alarm yet.) and soon enough he has a surprisingly thick file labeled “Shikako Nara” in his hands.

 

It starts off well enough. Born to the Jounin commander and his controversial wife, she would have been well cared for as the Nara clan head’s daughter. Twins to the clan heir, Shikamaru Nara, though by all accounts she might yet earn that position. Good. But then: Almost died during the Kyuubi attack (his breath catches. _I will make that up to you._ ) because of chakra hypersensitivity. Learned how to use chakra and became a shinobi anyways ( _That’s my girl_!) Graduated top of her class to be placed with Sasuke Uchiha ( _Ugh.)_ and Naruto Uzumaki ( _Ew.)_ under… Kakashi Hatake.

 

_HOW DARE THEY????_

Obito resists the urge to set the crumpled page alight. They put _his_ soulmate under the tutelage of that cold, unstable _bastard?_ Hell, that they trusted the care of _any_ children to that failure is evidence enough as to how twisted Konoha truly is.

 

He curses the fates again for all the time he’s lost. Why, oh why did he stop looking for her? It would have been so easy to keep up with Konoha records – hell, he could have taken a moment to check for her when he returned for the Kyuubi attack or the massacre. What would that have cost him? For all he would have gained! _How could he abandon her for so long_?

 

 _Don’t worry, Shikako,_ he promises, _I won’t let you suffer under him anymore._

 

It’s so _very_ hard not to burn the paper that holds those offensive words before his eyes, but there’s still more to learn from this report. He very carefully unfolds the paper tries to look for the good.

 

Passed the bell test with flying colors by immediately sacrificing herself for her teammates. (Obito’s chest fills with pride that her ideals so match his, but also worry, especially when she _keeps_ sacrificing herself, in increasingly deadly situations. What the _hell_ is Kakashi teaching her?)

 

Willing kill to protect her precious people, but prefers to offer mercy to beaten opponents when possible. (It’s sloppy, and dangerous, but Obito’s pleased she was able to hang on to that lightness, that innocence. He’ll do what he can to help her keep it.)

 

Happy to share techniques and help the people around her get stronger. (God, but if she had been around in his youth. She would have changed everything. Well, there must be some reason fate decided he would be so much older. Perhaps he’s finally strong enough to take care of her? Is he supposed to be her teacher? Perhaps this way minimized her suffering before he can enact the Moon’s Eye and create a perfect world.)

 

Between the good is so much more bad: Has a mission record that would make even a war genin queasy with fear. Is known for her ‘excessive hospitalization time.’ Officially reprimanded for designing and sharing seals with her friends, with no prior warning. Officially _punished_ for acquiring vital top-secret information from foreign sources. _Almost killed by foreign shinobi mere feet from a chaperoning Jounin, under Kakashi’s watch._

 

Obito growls. Nothing paints a very favorable picture for how Konoha treats her.

 

Patience gone, he’s about to head over to the Nara compound to finally, _finally_ see her, when a commotion starts up in the Hokage tower. It’s not over his break in, he quickly surmises. A sensory squad had detected an underground Iwa bunker. The bunker was taken over, and the foreign shinobi apprehended without casualties on Konoha’s side, but they still needed back up, and new orders, at the newest outpost. On that poor, ambushed sensory squad? Newly-promoted special jounin Shikako Nara.

 

Obito wants nothing more than to go after her. To make sure she’s okay, and carry her to safety if she’s not. (To slaughter anyone that dared strike against her). He has never been a tracker, though, and knows his best bet is to simply wait near the gates and see her come in. So he lurks, practically counting the seconds, and repeats to himself, _There were no casualties, no medic was asked for, she’s_ fine.

 

Late in the afternoon Tsume Inuzuka marches past his hiding place with her wolf-dog. A young girl in a special jounin’s vest half-staggers quietly behind her.

 

_Shikako._

His first look at her is nothing like he imagined. He’s skulking at a distance, for one. She has no idea he’s there, for another. Mostly, though, he just never imagined her to be in such bad shape. Not injured, thank heavens, but visibly exhausted. Shikako exudes the bone-deep weariness of someone who has been overworked and under-rested for weeks on end. Oh, his poor soulmate. What have they done to her?

 

Despite her obvious fatigue, Shikako puts on a brave face as the desk guards make fun of her and generally delay her way. She then dutifully follows Tsume to the Hokage Tower to debrief without protest. When that’s finally over, she’s apparently expected to walk through dark Konoha streets alone, in the state she’s in.

 

Watching it makes Obito sick. He has half a mind to jump down and take her away from here right his instant, stealth be damned. That will put undue strain on her, though, and would be a poor first impression. For the third time today, he stays his own actions.

 

This turns out for the better. Even in her exhaustion, Shikako is apparently and exceedingly kind person. All it takes is a little girl’s tears, and Shikako puts off bed for another few hours without hesitation. She soothes the child’s fears, heals her ankle (of _course_ she’s a healer too. Oh, Rin would have loved her.), and carries her home to her family. Obito’s heart melts, even more than it already had.

 

Because of her detour, Shikako arrives home after the Jounin commander does. Obito half expects to hear a silly-sounding excuse about ‘stopping to help a little girl with her pet spider’ drop from her mouth. No one questions her late return, though, so instead she shuffles into her room with a tired, “Tadaima!” and collapses into bed.

 

Obito’s seen enough. He waits a few hours, for the last light in the house to go off, then casts a strong genjutsu over the entire compound. No one in these walls will be waking up until at least dawn. Obito climbs through Shikako’s window, careful of the traps and seals she’s laid. Inside, he surveys her room.

 

It’s orderly, but lived in, and undeniably _hers._ Plenty of books – educational and not – to keep her brilliant mind occupied. Scrolls, ink, and brushes for her sealing work. Several pictures of her family, friends, and Team, as mementos of her loved ones.

 

Obito pauses to sneer at the photo of this Team Seven pinned to the wall. He takes a moment to rip it in half, removing Kakashi while preserving Shikako and her boys’ smiling faces. He places the good half with her other photos, then seals those up with her wardrobe, her bookcase, and everything else he thinks she might want that he can’t easily replace.

Packing done, he turns and kneels by her bed. Moonlight shines in through the window he left open, casting shadows on her face. _How appropriate for a Nara,_ he muses, in great spirits now that he has her close. He reaches out to stroke her troubled face, savoring their first touch.

 

“I’m sorry for the wait, Shikako,” he whispers reverently. “I hope you can forgive me. I’m here now, though. I’m going to do everything I can to make it up to you, starting with getting you out of here. No one will ever hurt you like this again,” he vows. She doesn’t stir.

 

Gently, he scoops her up, holding her close to his chest. Then, with one last look around to make sure he hasn’t forgotten anything, he Kamui’s them both away from Shikako’s home.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Obito's Creepiness is pretty much in peak form here.

Kakashi is the first to realize something is wrong.

 

Of course, he’s the only one who would expect a Nara to come meet him before sunrise, so he’s not even really concerned at first. Shikako has missed their kenjutsu lesson – his last chance to say goodbye before he’s leaving on his next mission – so it’s only right for him to head over to the Nara compound and harass her about it. If she thinks, “I got back from a mission last night” is a good enough excuse to skip out on ~~him,~~ ~~making her stronger so she’ll stay safe~~ , the lesson, she’s got another thing coming. Gai’s not going to be leaving the village for a little while. A few sessions with him should teach her ~~some of the many things Kakashi can’t.~~

Kakashi’s good mood at the thought of ‘torturing’ his beloved student continues until he turns the last street to the compound. Everything is too… quiet. Even for a clan that’s probably all asleep, the silence is unnatural; not so much as a baby’s fussing can be heard by Kakashi’s highly trained ear. Chakra hangs heavy in the air, a thick blanket smothering the compound. The chakra’s familiar too.

 

This is a Sharingan genjutsu.

 

Kakashi only freezes for half a moment. Quickly, he bites his thumb, hand flashing through well-known seals.

 

“What’s up, Boss?” Pakkun yawns lazily from his position on Bull’s head.

 

“The Nara compound has been attacked. Sharingan genjutsu. Flag down the nearest Anbu patrols, and get Tsunade here. Check on Sasuke, too. Bisuke, you’re with me. Find the intruder’s trail. _Now!”_

The ninken immediately snap to attention, sprinting of to do their work. Kakashi himself pushes his way inside, Sharingan out and ready. He’s had to walk into a silent, chakra-stifled clan compound once before. If this is Itachi again… well. He knows what this may be. As much as he doesn’t want more bloody horror permanently burned into his brain by the Sharingan, he can’t risk being less than battle ready, in case the attacker –whoever it may be – Is still here.

 

His first instinct is to check on Shikako. He quells that. He doesn’t want to see this at all, but he especially doesn’t want to see _her_. Can’t bear to look at another of his failures, if something has happened to his precious student. He’s a coward, and he doesn’t want to see it. Not with either of his eyes. (Oh god. Obito. _Shikako_. How can he walk into that with Obito’s eye open? If he’s right, he’ll be imprinting Obito’s eye with his soulmate’s bloody corpse, forever...)

 

He goes for Shikaku and Yoshino’s room first.

 

The door slides smoothly open. (Too smoothly. Too fast. He doesn’t want to see…)

 

They’re breathing. He practically sunshins into the room to check- yes. There’s no blood. No injury. Their hearts are beating.

 

Asleep. They’ve just been put asleep. He quickly wakes Shikaku, dodging his commander’s reflexive attack as he does.

 

“Wha- Kakashi?”

 

“I found the whole compound under a genjutsu,” he explains quickly. “You’re the first two I checked on.”

 

Brilliant, brilliant Shikaku understands right away. “The kids-”

 

Kakashi approves of Shikaku’s priorities. He follows the Nara head out of the room, and up the stairs. Shikaku slides open the first door on the left – Shikamaru’s – and breathes a sigh of relief to see his son’s sleeping form. Kakashi continues past him, to the second door on the right. After seeing the rest of the family, he’s almost not even worried to slide open his student’s bedroom door.

 

She’s gone.

 

It’s better than a body – she can still be saved (He will save her. He _will._ He has not failed her, failed Obito, yet.) – but also worse. There are very few reasons to _break into a Hidden village_ and _kidnap the Jounin Commander’s daughter_ from _right under his nose._ Even fewer involve taking Shikako’s things – including her books and sealing work – with her. Most of those reasons involve pain.

 

“Bisuke!” He calls hoarsely, desperately, but the ninken is already there, sniffing the open windowsill. “Where…?”

 

“I’m sorry, boss. I don’t know. The newest non-Nara chakra besides yours makes a beeline straight here, then it just… disappears.”

 

“Check. Again.”

 

“It’s not going to- Yes, sir,” the dog wisely decides not to argue against Kakashi’s growl.

 

The ninken circles the room, nose to the ground. Kakashi moves to search too, can hear Shikaku doing the same behind him, but there’s so little to go through. All that’s left in the room is Shikako’s bed (mussed – she slept here last night, was taken _straight from her own bed_ ), her desk, and an empty shelf where some of her photos and knickknacks used to stand.

 

“Hey, Boss? Check this out.” Bisuke calls from under the desk. His little head pops out, a small piece of paper in his mouth.

 

It’s a photo of Team Seven. Well, half of it. Kakashi’s half. His mind is sluggish. For a moment, Kakashi doesn’t understand it. He was so sure that this is a Sharingan genjutsu, that Itachi must have come back to torture his student again, or to use her as bait, or to force her to make seals for the Akatsuki.

 

But why take her personal things? The pictures could be incentives – or threats – but then why leave _his_ picture behind? You only do that if you’re trying to make a point. Itachi makes points with bodies. So who…?

 

_You are my real enemy,_ the picture sneers at him. _This is to hurt you. This is your fault._

Kakashi feels Obito’s eye burn in accusation as he fights back the beginning of tears in his own.

 

_You failed her again. You failed_ me _again._

_Failed, failed, failed._

He’s past the breaking point that he’s somehow never even reached before. This is one failure too many. Kakashi knows he will never be forgiven for this.

XxXxX

In his Kamui world, soulmate safely in his arms, Obito is willing to admit to himself that, perhaps, this was not the most well thought-out course of action. In all the time he’s had to think in the last twenty-four hours, he had been almost exclusively focused on Shikako. Now that he has her, he realizes that he hasn’t really though of what he was going to do now.

 

The Akatsuki will know what’s happened, given the end to their most recent meeting. Well, they’ll guess, at least, because they’ll assume she’s now dead or captive, and Obito refuses to let either of those things become truth. Ever.

 

Which brings him to his current dilemma.

 

This Kamui world is no doubt the safest place for her. No one can get in or out but him – she’ll be perfectly safe! He can’t imagine she will be happy about it, though. It’s gloomy and gross, and he’d have to bring in a lot more furniture before it even begins to be comfortably habitable. Besides, what would she do without electricity, running water, or even an easy source of food? No, he can’t subject her to this place, no matter how protected she would be.

 

Madara’s cave would, likewise, be one of the safer locations in the world, especially once the wars gear up. It would solve the food and utilities problem too. Regardless, Obito discards that idea after giving it more than a passing thought. Obito is not especially keen to spend a lot of time in the place where he worked through his greatest miseries. More than that, though, he simply can’t trust Madara. The man tried to kill his own soulmate. What regard would he have for Obito’s? Obito’s stronger than he was when Madara first saved him thirteen years ago, but not so much that he would risk Shikako’s life on being able to take Madara in a fight. Such a solution would also require his constant presence, something he can’t guarantee even to his soulmate, if he is to save the world. No, bringing her into Madara’s sphere of influence is just asking for the man to lose it and turn on her.

 

That pretty much just leaves Pein’s headquarters in Ame. It’s not ideal, to have her in a place that other Akatsuki members occasionally pass through. He should have warning, though, if they’re to stop by. And, unlike Madara, Obito can control Pein and Konan. They’ll protect her, if he tells them to, and they have vetted servants that can take care of her needs. Plus, Ame is probably the most secure of all the hidden villages, thanks to Pein’s _Rain Tiger at Will_ technique. Yes, the Ame base will do nicely.

 

Obito gently lays Shikako down, propping her head up on one of the packs he’d taken from her home. Then, he carefully checks on his genjutsu. It’s still running strong. She’ll be out for at least a few more hours, if not longer, given her exhausted state. With one last glance at her peaceful, slumbering form, he Kamui’s back to Pein.

 

“The mission was successful, then?” Yahiko’s body asks.

 

“Unquestionably. I imagine Konoha and Team Seven will be quite shaken.”

 

“Excellent.” Pein pauses, a clear sign of hesitation to someone at Obito’s level. “You don’t normally take care of such trivialities yourself.”

 

Pein is not – quite – challenging Obito’s actions, so Obito allows the implicit question. It feeds so well into what he wants, anyways.

 

“The brutes we use as the public arm of the Akatsuki are good enough for what they do, but sometimes a little more… finesse is called for. There are greater plans at work that would be ruined if this situation were mishandled. Incidentally – The Salamander’s quarters are still unused, correct?”

 

“You know Konan and I have no interest in that _murder’s_ rooms.”

 

“Ah! Calm down, my friend. I meant no offense. I was merely going to tell you to have some of your servants prepare them for use. Trustworthy ones. We’re having a very special guest stay with us for the foreseeable future, and I would hate for something to… happen to her.”

 

“She’s alive?” Konan joins the exchange, less subtle than Nagato’s carefully controlled puppet. “You took her as a hostage?”

 

“Of a sorts, I suppose.”

 

Pein frowns. “They’ll never trade anything of value to us for her.”

 

“That is not her purpose.” Obito counters, smile sly underneath his orange mask. He’s learned well these past years how to twist a knife, how to redirect from unmentionable things. “You of all people know what the twisted power of hope can do to a person.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Good. Now, send for your servants. We’ve only a few hours to prepare, and the seals down there will need me to update them.” Pein acquiesces with a nod. Yahiko’s body motions to Konan, who glides from the room, no doubt to take care of things, as she always does.

 

Obito likewise readies himself to leave. He pauses at the door, turning back to stare the rinnegan user down.

 

“Oh, and Pein? Let me impress upon you the importance of this girl to our goals. If she escapes, if someone gets in that harms one hair on her head…” Obito flares his chakra intent, so the message is not misunderstood.

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

XxXxX

 

Later, Obito decides that this is yet another of his great plans.

 

The Salamander had always been fond of fine material things, and these rooms hadn’t lost their luster just because they had been closed of for a few years. A quick cleaning and some soft new sheets take the place from habitable to luxurious. Obito’s seals and traps make it safe. Shikako’s things, carefully put away, grant the rooms a feeling of _hers._ There’re still some things he wants to acquire for her to make it perfect, but it’s good enough that she should be happy.

 

Obito smiles at his handiwork, then heads back to the Kamui world one last time to pick up the crown jewel.

 

_Shikako,_ he smiles down at her face. Her head lolls into his shoulder when he cradles her close, and he can almost imagine she is looking to him for comfort.

 

How long had it been, since someone had needed him? Him. Obito. Not his strength or his skills or his eyes. Too long, Obito decides, starting to understand why the universe gave her to him. _You’ll be fine, now. Safe, and happy, and with me until we can complete the Moon’s Eye plan and make everything perfect._

 

When they return and he goes to put her to bed, he realizes she never finished taking of her gear after her last mission. He briefly contemplates changing her into the silky pajamas one of the servants had acquired and laid out, but decides against it. She hasn’t even gotten to meet him yet he doesn’t want to send the wrong message about what he expects from this relationship. Besides, he’s seen kunoichi react to men seeing them undressed. Even sweet Rin would probably punch him if tried such a thing with Shikako, no matter his intentions.

 

Instead he strips her of the weapons, armor and jewelry she had obviously been too exhausted to remove the night before, leaving her in in soft pants and a long-sleeved undershirt. That should be much more comfortable, without him doing something inappropriate.

 

Her breathing is deep, her brow smooth, and her face contented. He smiles. He must be doing the right thing, if she’s doing so much better already.

 

He could cancel the genjutsu, now. Then he would finally, finally get to speak to her. He doesn’t though. It will fade on its own soon enough, and she clearly needs the sleep. Instead, he settles down near the bed, so that he will be right there to greet her when she finally wakes.

 

He’s waited this long. He’s all too happy to let his exhausted soulmate rest a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some alternate takes on the "Konoha Finds Out" scene by other people on the recursive forum:
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/180237/137948546/158/Recursive-Fanfiction#149560016
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/180237/137948546/159/Recursive-Fanfiction#149580459
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/180237/137948546/160/Recursive-Fanfiction#149583394


	4. Chapter 3

Shikako knows _something_ is up when she actually wakes up feeling rested. Which, okay, probably says some bad things about how busy she’s been the last few months, but still. She was learning a lot. If Shika conspired to help her sleep in and she missed Kakashi’s lesson, she’s going to punch her stupid, overprotective brother in the face.

 

It takes her far, far too long to recognize that there is a massive, unknown chakra at her bedside. That’s alarming enough, but for her – one of Konoha’s greatest chakra sensors – to have drowned it out even as she regained consciousness, that speaks of genjutsu. And isn’t that frightening? Even Yakumo couldn’t tag her with a genjutsu she couldn’t feel. The only thing that could do that was…

 

She rolls up and out of bed, across from the foreign chakra. As she moves, she tries to pull on her shadow, to bring up Shadow Sight so she’s not completely defenseless against Sharingan eyes. Her chakra doesn’t come.

 

It’s not like with Muku, during the Grass exams. That was glass under her skin, letting her see but not touch her chakra. This is different. More like vapor. It’s flowing through her body, but evaporates from clenched fists every time she tries to grab at it.

 

That’s fine, she can just use… right. Of course they stripped her of weapons, including the Gelel stone. She doesn’t have so much as her earrings left on her. What, were they afraid she was going to stab someone with the 2-millimeter pin? Without any other options, she settles for a defensive grappling stance.

 

“It’s okay, Shikako. You’re okay.” The man on the other side of her bed has his hands raised, as if placating a frightened animal. Correction: the orange masked man on the other side of someone’s bed has black and red-cloaked hands raised, as if distracting a frightened victim.

 

Wait. She’s seen seen a swirling orange mask like that before.

 

Just like Itachi and the massacre, Shikako gets a sudden jolt of memories. It was one of the last things that had happened in the story, Before. This man had revealed himself to be not a powerful idiot, but the true leader of the Akatsuki. He then proceeded to take on _all five Kage at once._ She remembers that he didn’t meet his end there, so he must have won that fight, just as he won the fight in the Valley of the End all those decades ago.

 

_Uchiha Madara._

 

There’s something oddly freeing about knowing she is completely and utterly outclassed. All plans for escape, for survival, go right out the window when your opponent is someone who can effortlessly bring S-class nukenin to heel. If Shikako is not going to make it out of this, she can devote all of her energies to making sure Akatsuki does not get whatever it is they want. Resilience is all she has left to offer her precious people. Her Will of Fire has never burned brighter.

 

“I’m not going to tell you anything,” she vows.

 

“That’s fine. Whatever you want.” He shrugs nonchalantly. “That’s not why you’re here anyways.”

 

He says it so assuredly that Shikako thinks she believes him. Her quick mind jumps to the only other reason to keep a live captive. “I… see.”

 

She turns her back to him. A stupid move against a ninja, normally, but in this case, Shikako can’t be in more danger regardless. At least this helps disguise her movements, might give her that slight edge she needs. He probably can’t see her intentions when she picks up a cup from the tea set on her nightstand and examines it. It will have to do.

 

“But you should know… I will _not_ be bait for my loved ones!” In one quick movement, she crushes the porcelain teacup in her hand. She just has to get the ceramic shard to her jugular before Madara can move to stop her…

 

_“No!”_

 

Strong arms encircle her from behind, pulling her into an oppressive bear hug. His hands grab for hers, stopping the shard just short of her throat and forcing her fingers to release it.

 

“You’re not _bait.”_ He gasps, desperately, by her ear. Like he _needs_ her to understand this. He spins her around, holding her in front of him by her forearms. “Don’t hurt yourself! And especially don’t hurt yourself to protect _them.”_ The tone is sneering, for all that the swirled orange mask betrays no expression. _“_ They don’t even know I have you.”

 

Shikako’s heart sinks. She thought she had steeled herself for the worst, but apparently a small part of her still hoped for a rescue.

 

It does beg the question; how did he get her from her own room without raising any alarm? There’s definitely one easy way to do that, at least for this man who’s already slaughtered a shinobi clan before.

 

“Did you…? My family. _What did you do to them_?” She struggles in his grasp. He pins her up against the wall, so she doesn’t have the leverage to kick at him.

 

“Relax, I just put them under a sleeping genjutsu. They’ll be fine. Not that they deserve it.”

 

“Don’t touch them! So help me, if you hurt Shika...”

 

“Why do you even care about him? It’s not like he’s been very good to you.”

 

And that statement just does. Not. Compute. “He’s my brother!”

 

“So? What do blood ties mean, if those people don’t respect you?”

 

“That’s rich, coming from you! You turned on Konoha, destroyed our peace, and fought your own soulmate because you couldn’t let go of your brother’s death!”

 

“Turned on my own soulmate? I would _never_ \- oh. _Oh.”_ He releases her, and takes a step back. _“_ You think I’m Madara.” His scrutiny freezes her in place where he dropped her.

 

“Aren’t… Aren’t you?” This is bad. Is she remembering wrong? Was the story wrong? Has she changed something that would affect _this?_ And if she’s wrong, how the hell does she explain that conclusion?

 

He waves his hands back and forth. “Oh, no, no, no. That’s just a cover I use. No _wonder_ you’re so frightened,” he says, like the world is making sense again. That makes one of them.

 

“So… you’re not with the Akatsuki?”

 

“I mean, technically, I’m in _charge_ of the Akatsuki.”

 

“You’re… in charge of Akatsuki,” the words drop dumbly from her mouth, even though she already knew it.

 

“Well yes. You’re not in danger, though, even though you’re a Konoha ninja! I’ll take care of you.”

 

 _None of this makes sense!_ “Why?”

 

“Why would I take care of you?”

 

“Why everything! _Why_ am I _here_?”

 

“I brought you here because we’re soulmates!” He says happily, pulling up one of his sleeves so she can see the _Shikako Nara_ inked there in her own handwriting.

 

 _Soulmates?_ Shikako wonders, dumbstruck. This whole thing – kidnapping her from her own home, holding her captive away from her family and friends, doing _who knows what_ to her loved ones back home (Oh god, please don’t let them be too worried. Don’t let them be _hurt_ by this mad man. Let that part be true.) – this was all about some _words on his arm?_

 

“I don’t _care_ what it says on your wrist!” She screams furiously, hiking her sleeves up and thrusting her blank arms into his face. She gets a vindictive sort of pleasure in telling him, “You’re not _my_ anything!”

 

He stands stock still for a moment, chakra exuding a feeling Shikako can only call _utter fury,_ before disappearing in a black swirl.

 

XxXxX

 

Shikako recognizes, objectively, that taunting a homicidal maniac who is obsessed with you with the fact that you hate him so that he storms off in a fit of rage _may_ not be the most conducive tactic towards remaining alive. She just can’t quite bring herself to _care_ right now.

 

There are people waiting for her, probably worried for her, back home. Right now, she’s alone, and still alive. She’s fought without chakra before, and this time it’s not even so restricted that it will impede her taijutsu much. She has a chance. She’s not going to waste it.

 

Digging around the rooms – she’s able to access the bedroom, a bathroom, a sitting room and several closets that aren’t barred by sealed doors – turns up her boots, plenty of paper and ink, and a number of her own personal items that aren’t immediately relevant to her escape.

 

She really does not want to think about how or why those personal items were acquired.

 

After she adjusts the nature-chakra gathering seal she used against Muku and makes herself a fair few modified explosive tags, Shikako camps by the sealed door that _must_ lead to the outside world. If she’s going to be given a chance (if she’s going to be allowed contact beyond the teleporting Akastuki leader) it will come through there.

 

It seems like no time at all but also forever before she senses a figure approaching from the adjacent hallway. Shikako readies herself.

 

Chakra flares, and the seal on the door allows whoever is outside to slide the it open. Shikako wastes no time. She throws herself under the arm of her visitor and out the door, much to the orange masked man’s obvious surprise. As she moves, she sticks one of her new explosive tags to the man’s side, smearing it with blood from her pre-cut palm as she does. It’s too much to hope that the resulting explosion gravely injured him, but if it surprises him, slows him down by just a little, it will have done its job. Blood runs down her arms, having released her resistance seals and given her far more strength and speed than they have any reason to expect.

 

Shikako doesn’t glance back to see what happened. She’s already sprinted down the hall and around the corner, no set destination in mind except _away_ from the masked man and the two massive chakra signatures she can feel many floors above her.

 

The explosions aren’t subtle, and Shikako can feel the movements of what must be guards change as the alarm spreads.

 

A pair is coming down a perpendicular hallway, on course to intercept her. She puts on a burst of speed, readies another tag without slowing, and tosses it towards the two shinobi as she runs through the hallway intersection. They don’t follow; two down. She lands on another man’s face after she leaps over a banister and down a set of stairs. That’s six. In another hallway, Shikako slides under a waiting kunoichi’s stance like it’s home base, kicking her feet out and flipping the woman over her head. Fourteen, with many, many more on the way.

 

Shikako is… surprised that she’s made it this far. There’s far more resistance than she expected, many more chakra signatures than she accounted for from within her sealed-off rooms. There is more than enough power in this building to stop her, so why is she still free…?

 

 _They’re holding back._ Shikako realizes. _They’re not coming at me with the intent to kill._

 

And that’s… a can of worms she’ll open when this is over. One last hallway. A paralysis tag to takes out the last guard in her way, and she’s outside!

 

Shikako staggers as she runs into the rain. _Chakra. Chakra everywhere._ It’s something she vaguely remembers about the rain in Ame, from Before, and something she could vaguely sense while she was inside. Still, she never expected to be quite so oppressive. Like a series of explosions right in her ear, or a floodlight shining straight into her eyes. Shikako keeps moving forward by sheer momentum, struggling to ignore the chakra pelting her skin. She can’t falter here. Not when she’s made it this far. She overcame the Kyuubi. She can overcome this.

 

Through the gate of one more set of walls, Shikako can see some sort of market. It’s bustling, despite the weather. If she can make it there, Shikako can get out of the rain, can find a way to hide in the crowd and maybe even get a message out. She’s _so close,_ and it’s not like these guards are expecting to keep people _in-_

 

A sudden force catches her – gravity tilting sideways.

 

Shikako is thrown (pulled?) back, jerking to a sudden, painful stop as something solid grabs her by the scruff of the neck.

 

_No!_

 

She twists in the hold reflexively, using all the elasticity in her soft undershirt to squirm around and swipe an explosive tag onto the black-sleeved arm that holds her.

 

Pein doesn’t so much as flinch when it explodes. It singes the back of Shikako’s neck and engulfs them both in a cloud of acrid smoke. Shikako adds ‘sound,’ ‘smell,’ and ‘taste’ to her list of currently unusable senses.

 

Damn it. It’s not fair! She was _so close,_ but everyone around here is just too stupidly powerful. Shikako keeps struggling in Pein’s grasp so that technically, she’ll die fighting, when a swarm of paper engulfs and immobilizes her. Paper mummifies her, leaving only her eyes uncovered.

 

“Well, I suppose the rumors that she fought Kantokusha boy without chakra are true.” Solemn orange eyes bore into Shikako’s. “You put up quite a fight, child.”

 

“Mmhmpf,” Shikako tries to spit out behind her paper bag. She hopes her eyes convey to the Akatsuki woman that she should feel insulted.

 

“I’ll take it from here,” a voice growls from outside Shikako’s limited point of view. Orange becomes red and black as Shikako’s masked man takes Konan’s place in front of her. A Sharingan eye begins to spin. “ _Go back to sleep.”_

 

XxXxX

 

Shikako wakes again, in the strange bed again, with the masked man hovering over her again. This time, she does not leap out of bed away from him. In fact, she doesn’t so much as stir. She keeps her breathing even, and thinks.

 

His chakra is not angry anymore. Just sad, worried, and… afraid? Another puzzle piece.

 

She has never been one to keep trying a tactic that is obviously not going to work. Shikako knows she is not going to be able to fight her way out of here, no matter how clever she is about it. There’s just too much of a power gap between her and her captors. She might, _might_ be able to pull of an escape. What then? Does she go back to Konoha, and risk putting innocent bodies between herself and this madman? Does she try to disappear, and hope he won’t use another of her loved ones to draw her back out? She can’t think of a good way to protect them all.

 

But. The man behind the Akatsuki claims she is his soulmate. That means something, to most of the people in this world. All of his words and actions, so far, suggest he really does want her safe and happy, at least from a twisted, selfish sort of perspective. She might _actually_ not be in any immediate danger. That opens up a lot of possibilities a normal captive would not have.

 

It’s a bit scary, honestly.

 

Playing nice with your captors is always dangerous. She still remembers what Stockholm Syndrome is from Before. More vividly, she remembers Ibiki’s lessons about effective interrogation techniques and kindness.

 

But if she can believe this man – and she thinks she might – Shikako has the man behind the leader of the Akatsuki in the palm of her hand. That’s… that’s too good of an opportunity to pass up, even as outmatched and untrained as she is for this sort of thing. For all her efforts, Shikako has never been shown so clear a path to protecting her loved ones.

 

She got Haku and Zabuza to stand down and ally with her team.

 

She kept Sasuke from turning against Konoha.

 

She, somehow, helped Konoha, Kiri, and Suna from bonds that might yet become a full-fledged alliance.

 

She might be able to pull this off.

 

Alternatively, her luck in these things is already used up. She’s not a speaker, like Tsunade, or an inspiration, like Naruto. She’s just Shikako, the focus of obsession for a grief-stricken madman. If she says and does all of the right things, she _might_ turn him from this bloody path. If she makes one misstep, gives _one hint_ that she is using him, he may decide to slaughter all she holds dear. It’s the highest stakes games she’s ever yet played.

 

So the question is: does she risk this?

 

The answer, as always: she has to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a AU crack! snippet I wrote to celebrate the new Soulmark Thread on the DoS Forum here:
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/180237/149681642/2/Soulmark-Fic-and-Discussion


	5. Chapter 4

When Shikako shoves her blank wrists in his face, Obito thinks, _I’m going to kill them._ Then, Shikako flinches, eyes wide in fear despite her obvious anger.

 

Right. She’s a sensory type. And he just practically shouted at her through his chakra. Oops. He tries to tamp down on his killing intent, with little success. Instead, he teleports away to his Kamui world. It’s been a long time since he’s had to control himself around others. Better to get away, no matter how it looks, than risk scaring or hurting her more.

 

He’ll apologize when he goes back.

 

When he materializes in the Kamui world, the first thing he does is punch something. Well, a few somethings. Lots of somethings. He has half a mind to head right back to Konoha and slaughter the people who were supposed to have taken care of his soul mate.

 

_Why are her wrists blank?_

 

Did they do something to her marks? Use some jutsu or seals or false arms to hide him? Did they do something to _her_? Twist her thoughts until he could never be anything to her? Destroy her sense of self, like one of Danzou’s worms, until she was incapable of forming her own bond?

 

He doesn’t go back to Konoha, though, even though it would be _so easy_.

 

 _It’s not_ them _who ruined this_ , a large, quiet part of his mind whispers. _You don’t deserve her._

 

Despite his new powers, at heart, Obito is still that same insecure boy who ‘died’ protecting his loved ones. Through all these years and deeds, he hasn’t so much grown into himself as he has had those inadequacies pointed in a direction useful to Madara. After all, isn’t this just one more sign of what Madara has told him?

 

_This world hates you as much as your clan once did. Even now, it denies you the one thing that should be guaranteed. Wouldn’t you like to fix all that?_

_Yes._

 

It’s a long time, too long, before he’s able to push Madara’s sneers out of his head. A calm has sunk into his heart. It’s not the same as numbness he has used to get through these past thirteen years, pursuing paradise. For the first time in ages, he has something tangible and imperfect that requires his immediate attention.

 

It’s not over. He can still fix this. He can still make up for all of his failings, prove to the universe that _he_ can be good for _her_ , too.

 

When he goes back, Obito decides to teleport to the hallway outside her room. Shikako might be a little more accepting if he walks in the door like a normal person, instead of shoving “I can be wherever you are at any time” in her face. It can’t hurt, anyways.

 

Except then he slides open the door and finds an explosive tag stuck to his side. It’s not nearly enough to hurt him, of course, but still. She shouldn’t be able to do that at all.

 

_Clever girl._

He follows at a relatively relaxed pace. He can afford to let her get as far as she can. Hopefully, this will help get any thoughts of future escape attempts out of her system. Amazing as she is for her age (and she really is; look at her _go)_ , she’s more than outmatched. Better that she learns this now, so they can move forward, rather than let her keep dwelling on it.

 

It’s also a good chance to evaluate Pein’s subordinates. Many of them seem to have taken his directives to heart. The few who allow killing intent to spike in their ki find their heads unceremoniously removed from this plane of existence before they get anywhere near her. Shikako takes down the rest.

 

She stumbles when she reaches the outdoors. She might have actually made it all the way, if it weren’t for Pein and Konan’s intervention. Obito steps in before they can do more than catch and immobilize her. No need to let them get information from her, or worse, frighten her. He does feel bad that he has to knock her out again, though. Repeated sleep genjutsu can have some nasty side effects.

 

“Many of your agents performed adequately, given my instructions.”

 

“What was this, some sort of test?”

 

“More like a… demonstration. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about this happening again. I’ll take things from here.”

 

XxXxX

 

This time, Obito removes the genjutsu immediately upon returning to Shikako’s rooms. It takes her several minutes to wake naturally, and she lies still, faking sleep for a few more minutes after that. Obito fights the urge to push, though. Their first conversation had gone poorly enough that he’s willing to wait.

 

Eventually, Shikako exhales one last deep breath, and sits up. “Let me say my piece, first,” She says before Obito can say anything. He wasn’t planning on it, anyways, but he supposes she might not be able to tell beneath the mask.

 

“I’m not happy that you’ve kidnapped me. That you invaded my privacy and safe spaces and took me from my probably worried loved ones. I don’t like being cut off from my chakra, especially in the middle of what is apparently a foreign, enemy base. I’m generally displease with this entire situation.” Shikako sighs. “That said, it’s clear to me I am not leaving here. I see that it is in my best interests to make the best of things. Before I do anything else, though, I need to understand… well, you, but specifically I need to understand _that_.” She points to her name on his wrist.”

 

“My… soulmark?”

 

“Yes.”

 

 _Explain_ soulmarks? You don’t have to explain them. You just know.

 

Obito tilts his head to indicate his confusion. She searches for the right words to elaborate.

 

“The thing is, I don’t think I _get_ soulmarks, the way everyone else does. I never had one. For me, my wrist always just meant I was free to choose. That it would be a surprise when I found my most precious people. So doing all… this,” She waves her hand at the room, “seems crazy to me. I guess… I’m just trying to understand why.”

 

“Because you’re my _soulmate._ ” By her facial expression, that answer doesn’t satisfy her. She waits patiently for him to continue.

 

“You are… the best person in the world for me. My other half. _Perfect._ I’ve been waiting to meet you since I was old enough to read. I had given up hope, until I heard of your exploits in the Grass Chunin exams. I left to find you immediately. When I saw how carelessly Konoha had treated you, how poorly they took care of you... I had assumed my name would be on your wrist, and therefore that I had to protect you from that to be _best_ for you.”

 

“So you risked everything to kidnap me?”

 

“It wasn’t much of a risk, for someone of my level.” He shrugs.

 

She snorts and rolls her eyes. “You sound like Naruto. ‘I learned the coolest jutsu!’ ‘I’m going to be Hokage!’ ‘I’m so awesome, breaking into Konoha to kidnap a special jounin out from under the Jounin Commander’s nose isn’t a big deal.’ Tch.”

 

Obito would protest – Konoha really is quite weak – but she’s smiling now, and he doesn’t want to ruin that. No one’s smiled at him in a very, very long time. Instead he says, “Ignore the risk then, I would have come for you anyways. I _will_ take care of you, to the fullest extent of my not inconsiderable capabilities. No matter what.”

 

She stares at him. “Who _says_ stuff like that?”

 

“Soulmates,” he says unflinchingly. He can tell this is a crucial moment. He _has_ to make her understand this, even if he doesn’t have the words to do so. “I’ve waited so long for this. Even if you don’t have my name on your wrist right now, I will still do _anything_ for you.”

 

“Oh.” She says, blankly. “ _Oh.”_ like it is a revelation, and not the most natural thing in the world. “Um. Thank you? For caring so much?”

 

“Of course.” He reaches out to take her hand in his gloved one. She allows the contact.

 

Progress already!

 

Shikako squeezes his hand in comfort, and smiles at him. “I guess… now we just have to make this work. She sighs, and rubs her head. The action seems to make her realize how worn she is from battle. “Ugh. It has been _way_ too many fights since I’ve gotten to shower. We can get to know each other after. How about while I do that, you go get some… breakfast? That should have been my next meal.”

 

He grimaces behind the mask. All his efforts to help her recover from Konoha’s machinations, and he’s caused her to miss a day’s worth of meals. “Dinner.”

 

“I’ve been out of it even longer than I thought, then. Okay, you get us some dinner, and we can chat or play shogi or something, I know I saw my board here… Wait, do you know how to play?”

 

“No,” he says a little regretfully, kicking himself for never learning. He always knew his soulmate was a Nara. Why didn’t he ever learn? _Of course_ she would want to play.

 

“Well, I taught _Naruto_ to play, I’m sure you can learn too, if you want,” she says kindly.

 

It’s almost too much. Thirteen years with no company but those who would use or fear him has left Obito rather unprepared to deal with someone who’s actually willing to treat him like a _person._ That’s well… soulmates are supposed to be good for you. Apparently, that means your soulmate will be what you need, even if you don’t know it.

 

No wonder his clan has always so revered the soul bond.

 

It’s not everything he’s dreamed, not yet, but he’s starting to think it might eventually be _better._ The soulmate ideal that he was prepared to rip the world apart for is different than what he expected, but not bad. In one conversation, Shikako has already set the foundation to hold Obito’s _true_ loyalty.

 

(If Shikako knew how well this was going, she would feel more pity than triumph. _Even easier than gaining Gaara’s trust and friendship._ The anger – not at Obito, but at Obito’s keepers – would come later.)

 

“I would like that very much.”

 

“Alright then. It’s a plan. Um, actually, one last thing. What _is_ your name, if you’re not Madara?”

 

“Obito. Obito Uchiha.” Something flashes in Shikako’s eyes. That name means something to her. Whether she heard it from that traitorous bastard or her soul simply recognizes the name it should be connected to, he doesn’t know. Regardless, Shikako is smiling at him, holding out her hand to shake. He takes it.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Obito Uchiha.”

 

XxXxX

 

Three days.

 

Three days since Shikako had been taken. Since Konoha was turned upside down. Since Anbu operatives Hound and Hawk had put every summons in their combined arsenal to work searching.

 

Three days, and they were no closer to finding Shikako. It didn’t look like that was going to change anytime soon either. Tsume Inuzuka herself had rallied her clan and the sensory squad into pursuit. The trail in Shikako’s room is a dud. Backtracking from there through the village, the Hokage’s tower, and back out of the village gives them a brief moment of hope. That hope is quickly dashed when the scent trail in the northern forests disappear as suddenly as the one in Shikako’s room.

 

“I’m sorry, Kakashi,” Tsume grunts, as his pack joins hers in searching. “Of my squads, only Shikako might have been able to feel the chakra and guess at a jutsu that would do this. If she weren’t…”

 

Hound jumps to the next tree over, to check it again.

 

People begin to mutter – outside of what they thought was Hound’s hearing range – that it might be kinder if the poor girl is dead, given the low-looking chances of rescue.

 

By the fourth day, Hound is running out of options. Tsunade recalls him to the village proper.

 

“We’re not stopping the search,” She assures him, Sasuke, Shikamaru and the Jounin Commander. “We’re just regrouping. We all need rest, and clear heads. Not to mention, we’re still working on the Iwa bunker situation. Not-” she cuts of their protests, “that I’m cutting resources to prioritize that; both are very important to the village’s security, and to me. We just need to be cognizant that Iwa is a very real threat. And that the two incidents might actually be related.”

 

Thusly confined to the village for the foreseeable future, Hound is forced to face something that Kakashi had been desperately trying to hide from.

 

His feet feel like lead as steps closer and closer to the memorial stone. He’s always had mixed feelings about this place, unsure of his right to be in a sacred resting place for those he’s failed. He could never keep away, though, and he still can’t.

 

He sinks to his knees in front of Obito’s name. By now, he loves Shikako for her own merits. She’s his precious student. His beloved team’s heart. He would do anything for her, just for that.

 

But she was Obito’s first. Obito loved her before he knew her, loved her before she was even born. What is Kakashi’s grief and rage, compared to what Obito should have been alive to feel right now? Kakashi doesn’t ask his best friend’s forgiveness. He _can’t._ Instead, he makes yet another promise.

 

_I’ll save her for you, Obito. I swear it._


	6. Chapter 5

_Ino would be so much better at this,_ Shikako thinks for the millionth time.

 

Not that she would ever wish to trade places with her friend, of course, but the delicate balancing act she’s playing with Obito is wearing her thin. Shikako has never had an intuitive grasp of social situations; she’s much better at physical manipulations. It’s all too easy for Shikako to accidentally push Obito into despair. Shikako’s internal goal in dealing with him becomes something like: _Don’t go over the edge because I’m unhappy. Channel your efforts to_ fix _it for me._

 

Shikako finds she keeps the best handle on Obito by treating him alternatively like Naruto, Sasuke, or Kakashi.

 

Like, there are moments when Obito gets afraid. She can see, despite the mask, that he wants to run. Kakashi-sensei gets like that, when you get too close to explicitly acknowledging that you care. For all of Obito’s reverent talk of soulmates, he’s just as afraid. He would probably shunshin away, like Kakashi does, if his autographed wrist wasn’t tying him to her. What he’s afraid of, Shikako hasn’t figured out yet. Until she does, the same tactics seem to work on both men. Smile, and keep talking like you haven’t noticed. Never, _never,_ give them an out. “Don’t be late,” not, “Make sure you’re there.”

 

Sometimes, there are the moments when Obito relaxes, and he’s just so like Naruto. He gets loud and excitable and has _no_ respect for personal space. Shikako has to focus in order to not flinch away. When she first met him, Naruto’s experiences with rejection far outweighed those of acceptance. That showed through in Naruto’s expectations, despite his optimism. Obito is clearly the same, except he doesn’t even have the casual acceptance of people like Iruka and Teuchi to help balance him. Obito _only_ has Shikako, so everything is on her. He physically recoils if Shikako so much as frowns at him, now that they’ve come to an arrangement. It’s exhausting, but Shikako carefully controls her reactions, smile pasted into place. It works well, the times she ‘accidentally’ lets her mask crack. _I’m trying so hard,_ Shikako tries to portray. _I want this to work too. But it’s not. So what are you going to do about it?_

For all of Obito’s odd, broken behaviors, his thought process is clearly all Sasuke.

 

Sasuke, for all his aloof behavior, is actually a very emotional person. Obito’s somewhat the same. There’s the obvious _mine_ that seems to encircle their attitudes towards their precious people, for one. For another, if they’re passionate about something, you have to force both to stop and actually think through the whole problem to get them to reach a conclusion that’s actually logical whenever. For ninja, neither Sasuke nor Obito are very good at looking underneath the underneath.

 

Playing Obito in shogi helps Shikako make this connection. He’s abysmal, of course, but he _is_ actually improving. More importantly, though, it helps Shikako learn how he thinks, and creates a relaxed environment for them to talk.

 

Obito never notices that he is dancing to Shikako’s verbal tune.

It’s slow work, but Shikako knows she’s making progress. Everyday, she gets away with little things.

 

She tells Obito about her family (non-combat information, of course) and how much she loves her team and about that one time her Kofuku-Oba totally covered for her with mom so she could sneak out and watch a meteor shower, to remind him of relatives and relationships and rule-breaking.

 

She asks Obito to tell her stories, and gets him to play stupid little games, and bugs him for his opinion on things, so she can steer their conversations and bring up her own views on life and love and loss.

 

She realizes Obito _craves_ kind physical contact, so she allows herself to give him touches and hugs in association with forgiveness and friendship and freedom.

 

And everyday, Obito gets a little softer, a little more open, a little more compassionate.

 

Shikako’s rather proud of her work. But she can’t get ahead of herself. She’s set new goals for herself, and she has a long way to go if she’s going to get Obito to fully turn on the Akatsuki.

XxXxX

 

“What are you working on?” Obito asks when Shikako gives him permission to come into her room. His soulmate is lying on her stomach on the floor, surrounded by a mess of books and notes, painting a seal. It takes a beat for his words to register and for her to focus enough to look up at him.

 

“Hm? Obito? Oh, good, you’re here!”

 

A simple statement shouldn’t make him want to smile so badly. That’s one of the thing Obito is beginning to realize. Shikako is so… _cavalier_ … about acknowledging him. He had thought that was the soulmate bond, or maybe just a natural part of her personality. The thoughtless _kindness_ of it all, though, is beginning to make Obito question that assumption.

 

 _Perhaps this is simply how people are supposed to be treated?_ A small of his mind part that sounds _nothing_ like Madara whispers in the depths of night. After all, people used to speak to him like, this Before…

 

_“Oh, good, Obito, you’re here!”_

_“You’re late.”_

_“Be nice, Kakashi.”_

_“You’re too easy on him, Rin.”_

_“You two are impossible.”_

_“Hey! Don’t lump be in with the bastard!”_

_“Yeah! Don’t lump me in with the idiot!”_

_“You two are lucky I love you guys.”_

 

Shikako gets up and drags him over to a seal she’s pinned to the ceiling, grinning in excitement. “Will you activate this seal for me?”

 

Obito hesitates, and Shikako rolls her eyes. “It’s not for battle, or to disrupt the wards on the room, I promise. Don’t you trust me?”

 

“Of course,” comes his automatic reply, and then he can’t do anything but do as she asks.

 

“Don’t look right at it!” She cautions has he flares his chakra into the paper. He appreciates that a moment later when he realizes the seal is creating a warm light that would be blinding at point blank range.

 

“Perfect,” she sighs. She flops down to the ground underneath it, reaching over to turn on a small fan as she does. Shikako threads her fingers together behind her head, lays back, and closes her eyes.

 

“So… what is it?”

 

Shikako yawns. “It’s a sunshine seal.” It has to be a secret Nara bloodline to go from excited to drowsy in about fifteen seconds flat. “I’ve invented light seals before. This was a logical extension that premise. With the fan, it’s almost like laying out to cloud watch with Shika in a summer breeze.”

 

She sounds wistful, and Obito feels a brief moment of guilt. “You’re homesick,” he whispers.

 

Later, he’ll realize she doesn’t refute this statement, even though she must have heard it. Instead, she pats the floor space next to her. “Lay down with me. You probably need some sun anyways, based in this rainy place.”

 

Obito obediently sits down next to her. Shikako cracks one eye open. “You’re not getting any vitamin D all wrapped up like that. Don’t you want to feel the ‘sun’ on your face?”

 

Obito has never wanted anything less than to take off his mask in front of Shikako. He keeps his tone light, so as to not break her good mood. “Quite frankly, I think it’s better that I keep that mask on and not scare you with my scars.”

 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” She sits up to look at him sadly. “I… I don’t want to say scars don’t matter. We both know they do. Just… I’m your soulmate, right? That means they shouldn’t matter to _me.”_

 

She’s right. Obito will never again walk freely among people without a mask or henge, but he’s never really needed _their_ acceptance. Shikako’s though… He wants that. He also fears he won’t get it. Saying you should accept someone’s appearance isn’t the same as actually seeing horrible scars and looking past them.

 

As if sensing his internal conflict, Shikako sits up and hold out her hands. _Do you want_ me _to do it?_ she’s asking. Before he can lose his courage, he jerks his head forward in a nod. With careful movements, like tending a wounded animal, Shikako unsnaps the band that hold orange ceramic to his face, gently setting it aside.

 

“…So?” He asks, tentatively, when she looks up at him.

 

“…You look a lot like your old picture.” Obito stares at her. Of all the conclusions to come to... Shikako huffs, breaking his reverie. “Also, you’re pale even for an Uchiha. You’re practically glowing.” She lays back down. “Pretend to cloud watch with me so you can actually get some sun.”

 

Obito blinks his good eye, and follows her example a moment later.

 

It _is_ nice to feel the warmth on his face. And in his chest.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, we're finally into new stuff that hasn't been posted on the forums. I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> A big thanks to the wonderful Laural Rose, who beta'd this chapter for me, and convinced me it wasn't terrible. So you all have her to thank that you actually get to read this!

Shikako decides a sunlight seal is all well and good, but a sunlight seal that she can turn on and off at her own will, even without her chakra, would be much better. Unfortunately, this requires an intricate line of seals connecting the sunlight seal to a triggering seal she can disrupt – or repair – by wiping her blood on and off of it.

 

The unfortunate part is not the seals themselves. The tweak was simple, and she can practically draw them in her sleep. No, the problem is painting tiny, intricate seals up the wall and on to the ceiling _without chakra._ Unable to cling to surfaces or even move particularly heavy furniture on her own, she’s forced to improvise.

 

The only workable solution she comes up with it to scale the bookcase and shimmy herself into a position on top where she can _just_ reach where she needs. It’s precarious, but she’s graceful enough that it should have worked.

 

It _would_ have worked, if she hadn’t been interrupted by the door slamming open and a wave of chakra slamming into her senses as it passed the seal.

 

Shikako slips, and the floor is happy to greet her.

 

“Shikako! Shikako? I need you to look at me! Open your eyes, Kako!”

 

She does, and finds herself looking into Obito’s frantic, mismatched eyes.

 

“Obito? Wha-?”

 

“How many fingers am I holding up?”

 

“Four. Obito-”

 

“Oh, thank god. I was so _terrified._ If I hadn’t... If you had… _”_

“I’m fine-“

 

“What were you _thinking?”_

 

“I was just trying to add to the sunshine seals-”

 

“Hanging off the bookshelf?”

 

Shikako feels her temper rising. She has never liked being coddled or interrupted, and she _hates_ being condescended to. “How else was I supposed to get up there?” She snips.

“You weren’t! You can’t do these kinds of things, Shikako! If you had landed just a little bit differently, I could have lost you! Why didn’t you just wait for me? Obviously I’ve given you too much freedom. You’re going to get yourself hurt-“

 

Shikako pushes away, anger fighting with the horror clawing up her throat at the thought of ever more restrictions. No. _No!_ She can’t leave these rooms. She can’t learn or train or do anything useful. All she can do is occupy Obito when he’s here. All she can do, is experiment with seal designs – not even activation just the _theory_ – when he’s gone. If she doesn’t have that- If she can’t even have that-

 

Shikako’s going to lose her mind.

 

Perhaps she already has. Without thinking, words bubble out through the fear, vicious as any corned animal. “Is that really what you care about? Me getting hurt? That’s awfully kind of you, considering you hurt me everyday!”

That stops Obito cold.

 

“I… hurt you? …How?” His voice is small and lost, almost a squeak, and _that_ stops Shikako cold.

 

Oh. No. This is not good. Shikako didn’t mean to let that slip, did not mean to ever hint at the truth, She can’t take it back, he will never let that accusation lie, not after she stomped on his biggest sore spot. But what can she say? ‘By kidnapping me?’ ‘By trying to destroy my home?’ ‘By leading the group that wants to kill my precious people?’

 

Any of the above would shatter her carefully crafted illusions. She needs her falsehoods to stand; they’re all she has to protect herself and her loved ones. The full truth has no place here. So instead, she does what she’s been perfecting since she woke up here. She takes a kernel of the truth, and uses it to lie.

“By treating me like your prisoner! You always say you love me! That I’m your precious soulmate! But you lock me up in these rooms, all alone! I _know_ you have things you have to do, but when you’re gone, there’s no one to talk to, and nowhere for me to go, and nothing for me to do! There’s not even enough room here for me to my mom’s morning stretches!

 

“And now you’re saying that even this is ‘too much freedom’ for me! Maybe I could shrug my confinement off as protectiveness, but you still make me wear these stupid chakra seals all the tome! Even though it cuts off one of my senses, and it fills my head with buzzing, and it makes it hard to breath, and it _hurts me_.”

Obito’s grip on her slowly tightened as she yelled at him, but when Shikako pushes away, he lets her break his grip and roll out of his arms. She can feel tears running down her cheeks, but she’s not crying on purpose. She didn’t mean to say any of this, to turn his world upside down, to upset the mad man who holds her and her dear ones’ lives in the balance, and now she may have ruined everything, her mind is too ragged to see how she can fix this, all she can do is stop talking, get away, try to regroup her thoughts-

 

She locks herself in the bathroom, because where else can she go?

 

(Not that it will do any good. He can break the door down… Kamui in… hell, he probably has his own keys. If he wants- _whatever_ he wants- he can do it. She has no defense. If those letters on his wrist don’t stay his hand… She doesn’t know. She hates not knowing, not _understanding,_ but she still _doesn’t_ understand how much they’ll protect her.)

 

Alone, a true sob tears from her throat. Shikako hates crying. Hates showing this weakness (she has no real privacy, because maybe he’s not in here right now, but he could be, if he wanted, if _he_ wanted-), but Shikako is exhausted from keeping it all inside.

 

Whether it’s the concussion, or the stress, or the terror, or the failure, Shikako doesn’t know, but it’s finally too much.

 

Shikako is so, so tired.

 

For the first time since her arrival, Shikako cries for herself.

 

Not out of pity. Even now, she can’t pity her own situation when there’s still good she might be able to do, people she might be able to protect.

 

Just, exhaustion. Shikako’s body and actions have been tightly controlled, and her mind has been running on all cylinders this whole time. It was only a matter of time before even a Nara’s resilient intellect had to wear thin, so these tears are not meant to manipulate. These sobs are just pure, emotional expulsion.

 

They’re the first things she’s had in weeks that belong to her, and not to Obito.

 

XxXxX

 

She must have fallen asleep at some point during the night, because she finds herself waking up slumped on the bathroom floor. She’s not waking naturally, though. No, she knows she was woken by the appearance of the powerful chakra signature at her side.

 

Something in her stomach drops.

 

Not fear; she came to terms with the situation again not long into her breakdown last night. She is resigned to the fact that she is so stupidly outmatched that this man can do whatever he wants.

 

Not anger, either. As always, she had expressed her emotion and is done with it.

 

Instead, she feels… disappointed? Perhaps she is not so accepting as she thought; it doesn’t matter that she thought he _could_ break in here, it’s clear there was some small optimistic part of her that thought he _wouldn’t._ Because she clearly didn’t want him to, and she had been treading that thin hope that he would respect her wishes, or at least that he would respect _this_ wish.

 

Because this feels like a betrayal. It’s proof of what she’s known, that she truly has no choice, and that her illusions of power were only that. It shows that things are no different than they were the first night, when he decided he had the right to _take her_ , no matter her imagined progress. It says, ‘This is your life, now and always.”

 

That he didn’t… That he’s going to force her to talk with him, _now_ -

 

Well, Shikako’s feeling petty enough right now that she can make sure it is _force._ She will not give him the satisfaction of acknowledging him until he makes her. For the second time since she’s met him, Shikako lies still, pretending to sleep rather than talk to him.

 

She doesn’t tense when he steps closer, when he kneels at her side and… picks her up, like a sleeping child.

 

He doesn't try to talk to her. He doesn’t even seem to realize she’s nor asleep this time; he’s acting like he’s trying not to wake her. From the inside, he can easily unlock the bathroom door without even jostling her. He glides into her room and lays her down, gently, on the bed. She doesn’t move as he pulls up the covers, tucking her in. And then-

 

He leaves.

 

Shikako remains awake for a long time after he’s gone.

 

XxXxX

 

Breakfast is awkward.

 

What happened yesterday clearly needs to be addressed, but neither one of them really wants to talk about it. Instead, the tension hangs in the air, waiting for one of them to be brave enough to address it. Obito is clearly working himself up to say something, and Shikako’s not sure she wants to hear it. They’re clearly on a precipice; this could be a turning point in their relationship, as long as Shikako does not allow Obito to control this conversation.

Just as he finally opens his mouth to speak, she strikes.

 

“Are you ashamed of me?” she asks plainly. “To be my soulmate? Is that why you hide me away?”

 

As she expected, the question catches him completely flat-footed, overriding whatever it was he was about to say. He gapes openly for a minute, before his expression turns to one of horror.

 

“No! Of course not! I could never be ashamed of you!”

 

Shikako doesn’t let her expression change, allowing him to think her unconvinced. This just seems to make him more desperate.

 

“You’re brilliant and talented and kind and loyal and fierce! You’re the best shinobi in a class full of clan heirs and geniuses. You’re the best _person_ in the whole of the Fire Country! If anything, I’m ashamed that _I_ can’t live up to _you._ ”

 

He takes her hand, staring longingly at her blank wrist. “I’ve been trying to get there. I’ve been working so hard… obviously I’m still not good enough, and if I’ve managed to cast doubt, if I’ve made you think I could think something so _ridiculous_ …”

 

She glances away from him, not answering his implied question. She can better understand his mental state today if she lets him fill in that gap.

 

He follows her distant gaze, glancing around the room. His hand squeezes hers, as if in understanding. “Of course,” he murmurs. Shikako waits.

 

Obito lets go of her hand and stands up, coming to her side of the table. He kneels at her side, head bowed. “Please forgive me for ever making you think such an absurd thing. I am so proud of you, proud that you are my soulmate, proud to be _yours_ , and I hope I can show you that.”

 

He raises his head, eyes locked with hers, pleading with her to understand.

 

“I’ve prepared these rooms to hide you from the _dangers_ of this wretched world, not the joys of it. I will do whatever I can to make you happy here, but I can’t let you leave until I can make the world safe enough!”

 

“Our world will always be perilous, Obito. Am I to live out the rest of my life, ensconced in this gilded cage?” She’s leading him. It’s clunky, and she’s sure Ibiki would wince at her obvious interrogation tactics, but Obito doesn’t seem to notice. Probably because duplicity does not fit into the narrative he has constructed for them. Shikako thinks she understands, now, how she can push him.

 

“No! We have a plan. There will be Peace! I’m going to give you everything, soon!”

 

“How?” _By killing my teammate and brainwashing the whole world?_ The small voice in the back of her head that still remembers white and black drawings of a villain in a comic book wants to know.

 

Obito shakes his head, the first time he’s ever denied her an answer. “I can’t tell you right now. Soon. But, in the mean time. I _can_ show you that I’m listening to you.”

 

Shikako doesn’t snort.

 

“Please, come with me?”

It’s not quite the reconciliation Shikako was expecting, but she clearly doesn’t have the leverage to keep controlling this conversation. Yet. So instead of pouting or otherwise pressing for more information, Shikako finds herself nodding.

 

Obito leads her over to the door – the one that leads to the _outside_ – and replaces his mask and robes while he has her put on her shoes. Then, he makes a complicated series of hand signs, and the seals on the door _glow._ Shikako still can’t feel any other chakra sense besides Obito’s, but chakra is so heavy in the air here that she can tell they have been deactivated, simply because her awareness stretches so much further now. Like pulling up a blind, so she can see out a window, even if she still can’t touch the things she sees.

 

She doesn’t have long to re-orient to her re-expanded sense. With the seals deactivated, Obito wastes no time in sliding open the door and _leading her outside._

 

XxXxX

 

They really only go down the hall a little ways, but even just this is much more than Shikako has been allowed so far. She can’t help but savor the change in scenery, marvel at being somewhere that she doesn’t know every inch of.

 

The room he leads her to is a training dojo.

“I spent all night expanding the seal matrix to this room. You’ll still be safe here, with me, and I’ll bring you here whenever I can, if you want. You can use any of the equipment, so you can work out, or just stretch on the mats or anything. Whatever you want. And one more thing.”

 

Obito touches her spine, right where her back meets he neck. His chakra surges and Shikako gasps. “As long as you’re here with me, you’re _free._ You can use your chakra.”

Shikako manages not to stagger, but she does go still, marveling at the change in the world. Although she had never lost the sense of her own chakra, or even of the natural chakra around her, she hadn’t been able to _touch_ it since she had woken up under Obito’s control.

 

Now, she can reach out and feel how Pein’s chakra has left its echoes in the very humidity in the air. She can cycle her chakra and know with a certainty that the edges of her reality don’t blur with illusions. She can pull, and power will come rushing to her fingertips. She can push, and force speed and strength into her legs.

 

She runs.

 

Not away. Obito has more than demonstrated the pointlessness of that endeavor. His Kamui will always allow him to catch her, so there is no point in throwing away her work and risking her loved ones, just to get dragged back, likely with even fewer privileges. But she does run towards the door. Not too close, she doesn’t need Obito to freak out and stop her. Just. Close enough to prove to herself that she could leave this room, if she really wanted to. That she has the power to leave, that it is _her_ choice, _her_ resolve, not to.

 

She had never had the chance to reactivate her resistance seals after her failed escape attempt, so now, even so long out of shape, she feels like she flies as she uses her chakra to push far past a normal human’s body limits. Near the door, she angles slightly, not to lap around the dojo, but to run straight up the wall. Her momentum and her chakra – which she can use! – easily carry her up the wall, and onto the ceiling. After yesterday, Shikako wants to prove that she can do this simple, magical thing.

 

It’s silly, to revel in this stupid little thing that any shinobi can do – but then, that’s sort of it, isn’t it? She hasn’t been able to do this in weeks. She was almost starting to forget. She _is_ a shinobi. She might be trying to save the world with her words, but she’s perfectly capable of doing it with her own hands too. Usually.

 

She can place explosives with a touch. She can bend shadows to her will. She can reform the vary earth beneath her feet.

 

She can Substitute herself with another person.

 

Obito truly must trust her, as he doesn’t fight her chakra when she pulls a replacement on him. He also clearly didn’t know exactly _what_ she was doing. Prepared for the switch, Shikako is able to flip herself over, landing gracefully on the floor in a crouch. Obito is not so lucky. Unprepared and wrongly oriented for wall walking, he doesn’t quite grab on to the ceiling in time. He flails wildly as he suddenly finds himself falling, landing on the floor in a heap. Shikako is sure he is overplaying things for her sake, but she doesn’t care. She chooses to believe her prank worked, and lets herself laugh at him.

 

After a bewildered moment, he joins her.

 

In that one moment, Shikako is not angry or afraid. She’s just a kunoichi, laughing about successfully playing a prank on ~~Naruto~~ ~~Sasuke~~ ~~Kakashi~~ Obito.

 

In the next, she remembers another way she knows how to work out her frustrations.

 

“Fight me!” She calls, as Obito finally gets back on his feet.

 

“Wha-?”

 

But Shikako has already launched herself at him.


End file.
